Mrs. Lollipop, Pittsburgh
Age and Occupation: 26, Computational Linguist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Project Manager
Engagement Date: August 2, 2006
Wedding Date: September 2, 2007
Blogging Since: July 17, 2007
Venue: The PPG Aquarium at the Pittsburgh Zoo
About Me: I'm a Pittsburgh transplant who grew up in the deep south. I have a weakness for exotic alphabets, DIY projects, mobster movies and international travel. My fiance and I are both non-native Japanese speakers and we have a bullfrog named Skinny.
My DIY Hair Combs
July 20th, 2007 @ 1:33 pm by Mrs. Lollipop
When it comes to clothing or hair accessories, I usually know what I want. When I go shopping I search for the things that match the picture in my head. If I can’t find what I want or the closest match is too expensive, I’ll make whatever I need myself. Usually, I’m able to make what I want with acceptable results, but it often takes a considerable amount of time.
I knew exactly what I wanted for my wedding hair accessories: I wanted them to be in gold tones to match my dress, I wanted something botanical with leaves, and I wanted two hair combs instead of a tiara. Not that there is anything wrong with wearing a tiara; they just aren’t my style.
After shopping with grim determination, I couldn’t find anything approaching my ideal combs. Even distant matches carried a $100+ price tag for rhinestones and brass. Instead, I resolved to make my own.
My supplies came from Fire Mountain Gems, but I purchased them through a local store called the Rock Shop so I wouldn’t have to put in a bulk order to get the maximum discount. I bought gold filled wire, AB Swarovski crystals, citrine drops (my birth stone), and marquise cut topaz (also a birth stone). To fill in the background and add a botanical look, I added metal leaves.
My camera is broken, so the resulting pictures are less than optimal. The resulting combs, however, turned out well. They sparkle a lot in the light and make my inner magpie happy.
I also made a tiara for one of my bridesmaids, just ’cause she wanted one. I posed it on top of our fan:
13 Responses to “My DIY Hair Combs”
So pretty!! Yay for November babies!!
Those look great!
Miss Lollipop, those golden leaves really give the hair combs some extra oomph without making them seem like big wad of crystals (I’ve been there, it isn’t pretty).
If you don’t mind telling us, what was your estimated cost per comb?
Those are so pretty! You did an excellent job.
Wow those look really good! You’re so creative!
you made those? they’re amazing!
“Inner magpie” — love it.
They are really beautiful! You could certainly have a business on your hands if you wanted to 
that is so cute!
Step-by-step instructions?
Ooooh, I love the leaves! Lovely combs!
The combs are pretty easy to make. Just take a length of wire about three feet long and wrap it around the comb, adding beads and leaves along the way. To make the leaves stick up a little more, just string two or three together and leave a little excess wire on that loop. Twist the extra length to lock the leaves in place.
Keeping the marquis cut stones in place was a little tougher, as they don’t have holes. For those, I made a small figure 8 out of wire and placed an end of the Topaz in each hole. Next I used a pair of needle nose pliers to tighten the wire and keep the stone in place. This technique takes a little practice, but I’ve worn the combs several times and everything has stayed in place.
Total Cost:
4 10mm marquis cut white topaz stones: $7.28
5 feet of gold filled wire: $2.90
1 package of Swarovski AB crystals: $2.92
1 package of Gold Leaves: $1.34
1 strand of citrine drops: $58.82
The combs came from an old pair that I dismantled. (Yay! Recycling!)
Total: $73.26
I splurged on the citrine, but I have tons left over. Obviously they can be substituted for something less expensive.
Total without the citrine drops: $14.44
very talented. i think i will make my own hair whatever.
inspiration
